


A Boundless Deal

by Queen_BriarRose



Category: Purple Hyacinth - Ephemerys & Sophism (Webcomic)
Genre: Badass!Lauren, F/M, Fantasy, Kywi cameo, Lauki - Freeform, Look! Briar isnt writing a parent au for once!, Pirate AU, Slow Burn, Suave!Kieran, Tags May Change, god this is going to be my hardest project yet, innuendos, mermaid au, read notes for warnings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:09:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25513336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queen_BriarRose/pseuds/Queen_BriarRose
Summary: Lauren Sinclair, one of the most feared and respected pirate captains to ever sail the seven seas. Kieran, a merman with a love for watching humans make a fool of themselves. This unlikely pair find themselves working together in a deal that will change their lives forever.
Relationships: Lauren Sinclair & Kieran White, Lauren Sinclair/Kieran White
Comments: 8
Kudos: 55





	1. The Lost Heiress

**Author's Note:**

> AHHH THE PIRATE AU IS BACK! Thanks to the Purple Hyacinth discord server, i know have a better idea on how i want this story to go. The first chapter will be the same but the title and description will change because the old ones are no longer relevant. I hope you all enjoy!

It was a warm summer night in the Carribean. A ship with coal black sails was anchored in front of a small island. On the island was a crew of pirates looking for a lost treasure that was rumored to be there. They were similar to every other group of pirates that roamed this part of the sea, except this crew was commandeered by a woman. She had fiery red hair blowed in the wind along with her sail and golden eyes that pulsed like the eyes of a lioness. She had impeccable sword fighting and combat skills. She was as quick and smart as the crack of a whip. If that weren’t enough, she also had a talent for being able to see if a person is lying. Her name was Captain Lauren Sinclair, but to her enemies who dreaded the hoisted colors, she was the terrible Red Siren.

Her crew had toiled all day, looking for the alleged treasure, only to come up fruitless. Lauren urged her crew to take a break from searching and eat dinner. While her merry band of thieves and pillagers were resting at the campsite, she decided to go for a walk on the beach for some alone time. The cool dark water touched her bare feet as she looked over the horizon. However, unbeknownst to Lauren, she was not alone on her walk.

Less than a mile from the shore was a merman called Kieran. He was always fascinated by these loud rabble of humans called pirates, and found their behavior entertaining. He had been watching Lauren’s crew all day to see if they would find the rumored treasure. Kieran knew about the treasure and knew where it was but he found it humorous to watch them struggle to locate it.

Kieran’s attention was also drawn by the captain. He was impressed by how well she kept order among her crew. He could also tell that she was beautiful, even a mile away. He noticed that the captain was breaking away from the rest of the group so he decided to pursue her. He managed to get a closer look at her without being noticed and he was blown away but what he saw. She was even more beautiful than he thought. He could now see her beautiful golden eyes shine through the night like a lantern. Her body was tall, toned, and strong. Her crimson hair was complemented by the pale moonlight.

She was absolutely divine.

Kieran stopped breathing for a second and began to turn red. He dunked his head back into the water and gave himself a smack on the face.

“Dumbass,” he scolded to himself.

There was no way he could develop a crush on a human. Merfolk were way more superior to humans when it came to looks. How could a human possibly leave him breathless? Kieran peaked his head back up to the surface, except this time, the captain was looking towards his direction. Kieran gasped and went back under water.

Lauren pulled out her pistol and yelled “Show yourself, coward!”

Kieran heard her demand and slowly rose out of the water with his hands up. Lauren raised her eyebrow at the sight of him. 

“Calm down there, love!” he yelled across the water. “I’m not going to hurt you!” 

“Why are you stalking me then?” she inquired 

Kieran internally panicked for a second. How was he supposed to explain to her that he was following her because he likes the way she acts and looks without being creepy? Kieran then remembered that she was on this island to look for a treasure. 

“I’m following you because I wanted to tell you that I know where the treasure is,” he said

“Cut the bullshit,” Lauren barked “I know you’re lying. How would you know where the treasure is anyway?”

“Another merperson saw a different pirate crew bury it a few years ago. We get a kick out of watching humans struggle to find it,” he stated as he inched closer to her.

“I can see that you’re not lying about the treasure but that still doesn’t explain why you were stalking me.” she hissed.

Kieran threw his head back and sighed 

“I wanted to get a closer look at one of you because I find humans interesting.”

He told her the truth but it wasn’t the whole truth  
Lauren lowered her pistol.

“Oh really?” she asked with a hint of doubt in her voice. “Even though that doesn’t give you an excuse for stalking me, I have to admit though, I’m curious about merfolk too”.

Kieran’s eyes widened at the pirate’s confession. Lauren placed her hands on her hips.

“Alright then,” the redhead said “Tell me where the treasure is and I’ll answer any questions you have about humans.” 

“Sounds fair enough,” Kieran said, even though he wanted to ask questions about her, not humans.

Kieran inched closer to the shore until he was on the wet sand, laying on his stomach. Lauren was finally able to get a clear look at his appearance. He had blue-black, neck length hair that was tied back with some seaweed.His eyes were almost as blue as the ocean he swam in. He was lean but muscular. The thing about him that stood out the most was his beautiful tail that was a dark purple that faded into lavender when it got to the fins.

“By the way, my name is Kieran,” the merman said.

“Lauren,” the captain replied.

Lauren sat down in the sand so that she could make eye contact with him.

“So where is this treasure?” Lauren asked 

“It’s buried in one of the sandbars surrounding the island,” the merman said “It’s impossible to dig it up without drowning first.”

Lauren grit her teeth. 

“Are you shitting me?!” she growled “We’ve come all this way and spent all this time searching for it only to have it be impossible to get?!” she ranted.

“Calm down, darling” Kieran hummed. “It’s not impossible. I could get it for you.”

Lauren raised her eyebrows at the merman’s offer and then put her skeptical face back on. 

“I’m guessing that you’ll get it in exchange for some of the treasure?” she asked. 

“Actually, no. I would like to get it in exchange for you answering some questions about yourself.”

Lauren’s eyes widened in shock.

“Why do you want to learn about me?” she asked

“Because I find you very interesting,” Kieran said, once again only telling half of the truth.

“I’ve noticed that most humans see females as inferior to males, yet an entire crew consisting of mostly males respect you and follow your commands. Do you mind telling me how you got your status as a captain.”

Lauren sighed and scratched her head.  
“I guess there are worse ways to get the treasure,” she thought to herself.

Lauren then proceeded to tell the mysterious merman her life story because almost everything about her life led to her becoming a pirate captain. Lauren was originally the only child of a rich merchant. She fell in love with sailing at a young age because her parents would take her on trips with their lavish ships. She had the best life a sailor child could ask for. However, life came crumbling down at the age of 12 when a battleship from an enemy country sunk her family's ship while they were traveling. Lauren survived the attack and washed up on the shore of a foreign country. She spent the next few years trying to find a way to get back to her home country. By the time she got there, her home and company had already been monopolized by other trading companies. Lauren was powerless against wealthy and corrupt merchants. They refused to believe that she was the long lost heiress. So, Lauren was left with nothing but anger towards the rich. That is how Lauren turned to piracy. She wanted to get revenge towards those that took everything from her and to make her own fortune. So she stole one of the merchant ships and slowly built a crew one person at a time.

Kieran was very satisfied with Lauren’s answer to his question. Her life story was just as alluring to listen to as she was to look at.

"Do you still have questions about humans?" Lauren asked.

"Not really" Kieran said " Your story was payment enough"

Lauren got back on her feet.

“Alright, I held up my side of the deal,” Lauren said. “Now it’s your turn.”

Kieran then began to back into the water.

“Say no more, mon amour,” the merman sang with a charming smile on his face.

Lauren groaned and rolled her eyes back.  
“Please don’t call me that,” she pleaded.

“I’ll have the treasure by tomorrow morning,” Kieran said. “Meet me at this same spot tomorrow and I’ll give it to you then.”

“You better not back out on me, fish.” Lauren sneered. 

“Darling, I am a merman of my word,” he said before diving back into the water.

Lauren then made her way back to the campsite to tell her crew what happened. They were skeptical about trusting Kieran, but he was their last hope at finding the treasure.  
Kieran knew which sandbar had the treasure but he didn’t remember exactly where it was, so he spent all night searching for it. The only thing keeping him sane while looking for the treasure was the image of the lost heiress he had just met.


	2. We Have a Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finding the treasure that he promised Lauren, Kieran comes up with bright idea.

Kieran yawned as he swept off the last grains of sand off of a small brown box. It had a small lock on it that had rusted from being in the water for years. The lock had become fragile enough for Kieran to break off. He opened the box to reveal a golden handheld mirror. Even though it’s not a bunch of gold coins and gems, it’s still worth just as much if not more. It’s a mirror that belonged to a human queen that was murdered on her ship during a pirate raid. The pirates took her belongings and sold some of them and hid the rest for a rainy day. Kieran closed the box and swam to the surface where he was greeted by the morning sunlight. The sky looked beautiful. The orange that came from the newborn sun transformed the black sky into a soft indigo.

Kieran began to make his way towards the spot where Lauren and him agreed on meeting. He arrived at the beach, but the captain was nowhere to be found. She was probably still asleep because it was so early in the morning, so he decided to wait for her. His mind wandered as the sun rose higher. He couldn’t stop thinking about her story and her crew; they seemed to be having a lot of fun looking for the treasure despite not being able to find it. Kieran believed it was because everyone on the crew were close friends and therefore managed to get along and have fun even while working on a wild goose chase. Kieran doesn’t have very many friends, so he tends to do things on his own. Kieran wished he could have a group of friends like Lauren’s crew. Maybe he can somehow convince them to let him tag along.

Kieran looked around aimlessly while his mind rambled. His eyes then landed on the large ship anchored by the island. It was made out of burgundy wood and had sails as black as the night. Kieran decided to take a closer look at it. He swam close enough to the ship to place his hand on it. The bottom of the ship was scratched and beaten. Probably from all the years of swimming through reefs. The merman moved his gaze towards the top of the ship where the humans are supposed to stand. There were no signs of fish nets or harpoons. Just canons. Every merperson made a habit out of making sure that the ships they were passing by had no fish nets or harpoons. Merfolk poaching has increased in popularity the last few decades. Humans have found out that the oils that merpeople produce help make human skin look younger and healthier. Humans also like to use merfolk scales to make jewelry. Some poachers have gone as far as to kill merbabies to see if their oils make you look even younger. The thought of people killing innocent merfolk and merbabies just to make themselves look pretty made Kieran sick to his stomach. Kieran hoped that Lauren and her crew weren’t among the group of humans that killed for money and beauty. It didn't seem like they were based on their ship’s appearance and the fact that Lauren hasn't tried to kill him yet.

Kieran forced himself to think about something else for his sake. He began to swim around the boat. He made it to the back of the boat where the words “The Beggar's Revenge” were carved. Kieran assumed that Lauren was probably the one that named this ship since he had learned that she basically became a pirate to get revenge on the rich. Below the sign were a couple of windows. Kieran assumed that they were the windows to Lauren’s chambers since most captains sleep there while the crew sleeps below deck. Kieran then realized that even if he did convince them to let him tag along, he wouldn’t be able to talk to them without yelling everything he says from the water and that’s not a fun way to have a conversation. Maybe Lauren has a big fish tank or something.  
Kieran looked back over at the rendezvous spot to see Lauren making her way there. Kieran quickly dove back in the water with the box still underneath his arm and began to swim back to the beach.  
Lauren, scanned the water in search of her fishy friend. She eventually saw his head bob out of the water. Kieran let out a smile and waved the brown box in the air.

“I found it!” the merman cheered.

Kieran inched closer to the shore until he was in ankle deep water. He then sat up and handed the brown box to Lauren.

“Here you go, M’lady,” he humed. “Just as I promised”.

Lauren opened the box and gasped at the sight of the beautiful golden mirror. It was in surprisingly good condition and was embroidered with images of leaves.

“It’s gorgeous,” Lauren cooed.

“Yeah, it is and the mirror is pretty too, I guess,” Kieran said smugly.

Lauren rolled her eyes at the merman’s flirty remark and put the mirror back in the box.

“Are you sure it’s worth a fair sum?” Lauren asked

“It has to be since a queen used to own it,” Kieran replied. “From what I heard, nothing the human royals own is cheap.”

“You do have a point,” Lauren said. “Royals like to buy the most expensive stuff on the market while their citizens can barely afford food.”

Kieran frowned at Lauren’s comment. It must suck living under a ruler as a human. Merfolk tend to just do their own thing or live in small groups where they make decisions together.

Lauren placed the mirror back in the box and placed it under her arm.

“Thank you for all your help. It means alot to my crew and me,” Lauren concluded.

Kieran nodded coyly, “The pleasure is all mine, darling.”

“Farewell, Kieran,” Lauren said as she turned around and began to walk back to her crew.

Before thinking about it, Kieran called out from the shoreline, “Wait!”

Lauren turned around and gave him a glare that screamed. “What do you want now?”

Kieran froze at Lauren’s glare. He didn’t know why he did that. His mouth just acted before he thought about it.

“I-” he croaked as his mind searched for an excuse for a valid reason to stop her.

Kieran looked over at Lauren’s boat in the distance, all pretty and clean of merfolk blood.

‘Of course,’ he thought to himself as a smile began to form on his face.

Kieran cleared his throat and looked back at Lauren again.

“I have a proposal,” he announced confidently.

“Judging from the condition of your ship and your background, your crew just looks for treasure and steals from the rich, correct?” the merman asked.

Lauren nodded and Kieran continued.

“And you’ve just learned that I can be very useful when it comes to collecting treasure, right?”

“What are you getting at, fish?” Lauren groaned.

“I’m saying that I can help you find more treasure if you do a little favor on behalf of all the merfolk.”

Lauren raised her eyebrows. “That sounds like a big favor,” Lauren responded.

“Trust me, it isn’t that much,” Kieran said. “All I ask is you take down every mermaid poaching ship you cross in exchange for the location of every single treasure I know of.”

Lauren’s eyes widened, “You mean take them down as in?”

“Anything that will keep them from killing anymore merfolk,” Kieran replied. “You could sink their ships with a canon, invade their ships and steal all of their equipment, even kill them for all I care.”

Lauren pondered at the merman’s offer. Attacking mermaid poachers and stealing all of their equipment? It sounds very rewarding but it could be very risky. She would be putting her crew in even more danger and she would also be making more enemies. Then again, she and her crew signed up to be pirates knowing full well that they were signing up to be in danger and have lots of enemies. Also, the amount of money they would make from selling the treasure and the equipment would help lead them to an early retirement. That is what her crew wants the most.  
Lauren stared at the sand below her as she pondered over Kieran’s offer. Kieran waited anxiously for her response. Lauren looked back up.

“Alright, fish,” she said. “I think we have a deal.”

A grin formed on Kieran’s face. Lauren walked towards the edge of the water and reached her hand out.

“Welcome to the crew, Kieran”

Kieran reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her down so their faces were inches apart as he grinned cheekily at her.

“Can’t wait to see what’s in store,” he hummed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for me to make a second chapter. This story has been rewritten an ungodly amount of times already. I hope that you all will continue to stick around :)


	3. Two and a Half Men

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kieran meets a couple members of Lauren's crew, but things start out on the wrong fin.

Lauren quickly pulled back as she broke away from Kieran’s hand shake.

“Get that close to me again and I’ll turn you into sushi,” she threatened.

Kieran laughed at Lauren’s odd threat.

“Whatever you say, captain.”

Lauren backed up away from the water, still maintaining eye contact with Kieran.

“Follow me, I’ll introduce you to my crew.”

Lauren walked along the shore line while he glided next to her in the knee deep water. Kieran would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous about meeting her crew. He’s never talked to a big group of humans before. What was he supposed to say to them? Were they going to be startled by him.These thoughts stopped him dead in the water.

“Uh, Lauren?” he croaked.

Lauren stopped and spun around to look at the anxious merman. 

“Yes?” she asked.

“Do you think you can go on ahead and tell them about me first? I don’t want to shock anyone.”

Lauren nodded and said “Sure. Just wait here until I come back with the crew.”

Kieran felt a small wave of relief fall on him as Lauren began to continue walking towards the camp. Lauren suddenly stopped in her tracks, twirling to face him once more. 

“Oh by the way, since I am now your superior, you are only allowed to refer to me as Captain, ma’am, or Captain Sinclair.” Lauren instructed with a confident tone. “Do we have an understanding?”

Kieran smirked at the captain’s demand. For some reason, he found her demand for obedience kind of...alluring.

“Yes, ma’am” Kieran responded, not wiping the grin off of his face.

Apparently satisfied with his answer, Lauren then proceeded to make her way back to the camp. Kieran scooted up the water until he was on the wet sand that still made contact with water. He laid flat on his stomach and rested his head on his arms. He liked to do this on deserted islands. He was just enough out of the water to get some sunlight but not enough out to put his life in danger. Kieran was about to drift off into thought when a sudden crash from the jungle interrupted him. Kieran’s head shot up and he lifted his torso up with his arms, ready to retreat back into the water. He saw the tree and bushes in the jungle shake violently. It was probably some sort of animal. Before Kieran could retret. A small figure stumbled out of the jungle. It was a human. Judging by what he was wearing, he seemed to be part of Lauren’s crew. He was wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. cropped grey pants, a red piece of fabric around his head and no shoes. 

“Ouch ouch ouch!” the human yelped as he hopped on his bare feet.

In the midst of the jumping around, the pirate looked up, meeting Kieran’s eyes with his bright amber gaze, a wide smile falling on his face.

“WILLAME, LOOK! A SEAMAN!” 

The pirate then began to sprint towards Kieran, sending a bolt of panic though his whole being. He didn’t know what to do. The pirate appeared to only be a child, so maybe he didn’t have any intention of hurting him. 

“OW! FUCK, IT’S HOT,” the pirate yelled once his feet hit the scoarching sand.

The energetic pirate pranced on the ground until he finally reached the shore. He let out a sigh of relief as the cool water engulfed his aching feet. Kieran just sat there awkwardly, gawking at the scene before him. Another figure emerged from the jungle, a full grown man this time, with a head of blond hair. This pirate was wearing boots so he had no issues walking towards the water.

“Will! Look a seaman!” the small pirate cheered. 

“Stop calling them that. It’s disgusting,” the other pirate groaned. 

The blonde, apparently named Will, stopped right in front of the water and looked down at Kieran.

“Please excuse my lady friend,” the blonde sighed. “She thinks it’s hilarious to refer to male merfolk as ‘seamen’”.

Instead of saying something a normal person would say, Kieran instead word vomited his first thought.

“Wait, that’s a woman?”

There was a slight moment of silence as Kieran realized what he just said. The moment was soon interrupted by the wrath of the small pirate.

“I beg your fucking pardon?!” she squealed, “Did you think I was a man?”

Kieran just accepted that fact that the pirate was already livid so he felt like he had nothing to lose.

“No not a man. I thought you were a teenage boy” Kieran replied.

“A TEENAGE BOY!?” the pirate shrieked.

Will was trying everything in his power to not laugh at the angry woman’s tantrum. Kieran was starting to find her anger humorous too so he decided to push her just a little further. 

“Well, yeah. I assumed you were a boy based on your height and your lack of curves and mounds”.

The woman’s face became as red as the sea coral. 

“I'LL SHOW YOU JUST HOW HEAVY MY MOUNDS CAN BE, FISH.”

The pirate ran a few steps and jumped in the air with her arms open, ready to body slam Kieran. Kieran rolled over to the side, leaving the pirate to belly flop into the water.  
Both Kieran and Will were laughing hysterically now. The pirate lifted her head out of the water and gave her lover a death glare.

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU LAUGHING AT, WILLAME?!” she squawked.

“Just the sound of your kid sized breasts hitting the water” the blonde wheezed. 

“YOU WEREN’T LAUGHING AT MY TIDDIES BACK IN TRINIDAD!” she yelled back in retaliation. 

Will’s laughing ceased as his mind was bombarded with memories of the crew going to Trinidad. That night was still the best and worst night of his life.

“Alright, alright. I’m sorry, Kym” he conceded. 

Will then turned his head over at Kieran. 

“I feel like you owe her an apology too, fish” he continued. 

Kieran was tempted to insult the man. He was so tempted. He wanted to see another outrageous reaction. 

“No I shouldn’t,” he thought.

But it was too late.

“Yeah, I don’t think I want to take advice from a man who prefers his women to look like teenage boys. I don’t want to know what’s going on in your head, buddy”.

Kym put a hand to her mouth.

“Oooooo shiiitttt-”

Her sentence was interrupted by Will body slamming Kieran into the water. 

“THE HELL ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY, FISH!?” 

The two wrestled in the water as Kym just stood there not knowing what to do.

“Uh, Will? You can’t drown him. He’s a fish” she croaked. 

“I’m aware of that!” Will yelled as tossed and turned with the merman.

Will then managed to pin Kieran down on the seafloor.

“Quick help me bury this bastard’s head in the sand! That’ll teach him a lesson!” .

Kym pranced over and heaved Kieran’s tail while Will lifted up his torso.   
Kieran squirmed desperately to try to escape his fate of having a mouthful of sand but the pirate lovers had a firm grip on him. They dropped Kieran on the sand and Kym began to desperately dig a hole while Will held down Kieran. In the midst of all the chaos, a gunshot went off, scaring the daylights out of the trio. They all looked towards the source of the sound to see Lauren, standing stoically as she held her pistol in the air. She then slowly brings her pistol down and shakes her head.

“Didn’t I tell all of you that hazing new members is not permitted in my crew?”


End file.
